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Office of Arts & Culture news and events

This summer the third floor of King Street Station will be awash with public art

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Office of Arts & Culture explores Belonging and Resistance with site-specific and collection works
Opening August 3, 2017

This summer the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s (ARTS) public art program will enliven the third floor of King Street Station with 2D- and 3D works from the City’s collection and site-specific installations. The exhibition, focusing on themes of belonging and resistance, will be free and open to the public, and will open August 3, 2017. An anchor project by artist and educator Pedro Lasch will investigate ideas of nationalism and belonging, and will be accompanied by responses from regional artists. The exhibition will introduce the range of programming that the public art program undertakes to provide art experiences to residents of and visitors to Seattle, including lectures, performances and engagement activities.

The exhibition will be the first art installation at King Street Station by ARTS and will give the public a glimpse of how the third floor will be transformed when it becomes a new arts and culture hub. ARTS, in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), is creating a permanent cultural space at King Street Station. ARTS engaged in an inclusive, city-wide outreach effort in order to hear from the community about their needs. ARTS’ intention with the new space is to increase opportunities for communities of color to present their work. The dedicated cultural space will provide public access to presentation and creative spaces, ARTS staff and resources, space for city convenings, and professional development and other services that were requested through the outreach process. This innovative plan utilizes an underused city resource to address issues of affordability and livability while preserving the unique creative economy that drives Seattle.

The city’s public art program provides opportunities for individuals to encounter art in parks, libraries, community centers, fire stations, on roadways, bridges and other public venues, enriching citizens’ daily lives and giving voice to artists. Seattle was one of the first cities in the United States to adopt a percent-for-art ordinance in 1973. The program integrates the work of artists in the envisioning of the public realm, advancing Seattle’s reputation as a cultural center for innovation and creativity. Public art projects create a special sense of place and enrich viewers’ experiences of the urban environment. The program specifies that 1% of eligible city capital improvement project funds be set aside for the commission, purchase and installation of artworks in a variety of settings.

The collection includes more than 400 permanently sited and integrated artworks and includes pieces by Isamu Noguchi, Marita Dingus, Mark Calderon, Ann Hamilton, Buster Simpson, and Michael Heizer. Artworks are commissioned through a public process. The city stewards and maintains its artworks through an ongoing program of coordinated conservation activities, which include inspections, major restorative work and routine maintenance.

 

Two public art projects recognized as part of the 2016 Design Excellence Awards

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The Seattle Design Commission recognized two projects that were enriched with integrated public art in their 2016 Design Excellence Awards, Fire Station 20 and Mapes Creek Restoration. You can view all the recipients here.

The Seattle Design Commission presents the Design Excellence Awards every two years, selecting the winning projects from the many public buildings, parks, open spaces and vision plans completed in Seattle. They choose projects that promote the mission and exemplify the values of the Design Commission: inspired design, contextual integration, innovative sustainability, social inclusion, exemplary partnerships, effective investment and impeccable execution.

The recognized artworks are Rob Ley’s Wind and Water at Fire Station 20 and the two Mapes Creek Restoration artworks: Yegizaw Michael’s Motion and John Grade’s Gyre.

Wind & Water by Rob Ley
Fire Station 20, 2014
Photographed by Lara Swimmer

Wind and Water at Fire Station 20 comprises more than 100 one-inch stainless steel tubes and stands over 14 feet tall, suggesting the flow of water or the movement of the wind. The sculpture engages passing pedestrians and frames the entrance to the building. The fire station also includes state-of-the-art sustainability upgrades and increased space for more fire engines.

The Office of Arts & Culture commissioned Wind and Water with Department of Finance and Administrative Services Fire Facilities and Emergency Management Levy 1% for Art funds. Photos courtesy City of Seattle.

Yegizaw Michael, Motion

Integrated into the Mapes Creek Restoration is Motion by Yegizaw Michael, which consists of over 450 disks of colored concrete and stainless steel that are inlaid throughout the 52nd Ave. S. walkway. The disks appear to flow between a set of concrete pipes that are inset in the north and south ends of sidewalk, calling attention to Seattle Public Utilities’ combined sewer line along the Mapes Creek Walkway that flows to the King County pump station.

John Grade, Gyre

John Grades’ work Gyre, also at Mapes Creek Restoration, is a stainless steel and wood sculpture suspended over the mouth of Mapes Creek in Beer Shiva Park in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. A master in working with wood, Grade meticulously crafted Gyre with tongue-and-groove slats surrounding a stainless steel frame. The artwork’s gently twisting form conjures a sail, rudder or elongated fin, and references the spiraling eddies of the water below and in adjacent Lake Washington. Sculpted with old-growth cedar salvaged from the Cedar River Watershed, the source of most of Seattle’s drinking water and vital to the area’s salmon habitat, Gyre reinforces the connection between the source of the region’s water and its destination.

The Lower Mapes Creek project is project of Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), and both Gyre and Motion are funded by SPU’s 1% for Art funds.

Side note: the two-other project recognized by the Design Commission, Sound Transit’s Light Rail Station at the University of Washington and the Leaves of Remembrance project both included artworks.

ARTS releases 2015 Report to Community

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As we look forward to 2017, it’s also time to look back at our accomplishments. In this case, it’s looking way back, at our accomplishments of 2015, as we finally get around to publishing our 2015 Report to Community. We’re a little late this year, but I hope you take the time to poke around. You’ll find maps of all our public art and activations, and photos of all the artworks that were installed. You’ll also find a really handy map of every grant recipient (nearly 500!) – showing the program, a description, photos in some cases, and a link to their website. We think it’s a great tool to see where the investments of the City are going – where there are holes and what trends we’re observing. http://www.seattlearts.report/

There’s also a bunch of great photos of our partners, descriptions of the programs we launched and ran, and a handy guide to staff and resources.

Let us know what you think – what kind of information would you like to see reported here? What’s useful or necessary for you? How should we be evaluating our success? We look forward to hearing from you. And we pledge that our New Year’s Resolution for next year is being prepared to share this with you way earlier next year!

  • Calandra Childers, Deputy Director

Join us at the 75th Anniversary Celebration at Colman Pool

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Overall after treatmentYou are cordially invited to attend the 75th Anniversary Celebration at Colman Pool

July 4th, 2016

Doors open at 10 a.m.

 

Presentation by Mural Conservator

Peter Malarkey at 10:15 a.m. in the lobby

 

Festivities begin at 11 a.m. on deck

Light refreshments will be served

 

Noon-1:30 p.m. swim will include lap lanes and family swimming

Public Swim 1:45-4:45 p.m.

Lap and Family Swims 5-7 p.m.

Regular fees apply for all swims

Free slide all day

 

Seattle Parks and Recreation publishes your guide to summer fun in Seattle Parks

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Put the Art in Parks, events and art installations now through September 

 *Scheduling updates:

– The Othello Quartz Festival, new date: Sunday, July 17, 1-7 p.m.
– The African Village Experience, new date: Monday, July 25 through Friday July 29, daily from 5 to 8 p.m.
– The Delridge Community Center Park’s “Day of Dance 2016,”new date: Sunday, August 14 from noon to 6:30 p.m.
– The Teen Concert @ Jimi Hendrix Park new location: Sam Smith Park
– There will not be a performance of Blood Wedding in Duwamish Waterway Park on Sunday, August 28.
– Unfurled, a public art installation in Lake City Mini Park, will be on display October through November.

 

put-artsThe Put the Arts in Parks 2016 brochure is now available and includes an exciting summer of events funded by the program in its pilot year. Made possible by the Seattle Park District, the Put the Arts in Parks program is a partnership between the Office of Arts & Culture and Seattle Parks and Recreation seeking to enliven Seattle parks by promoting arts and culture, celebrating diversity, building community connections, and energizing parks while connecting with underserved communities. “Seattle has wonderful and distinctive art throughout our parks, and this exciting initiative will build on that,” said Jesús Aguirre, Superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Put the Arts in Parks is funding 39 events, series, and art installations through September 2016, providing $199,400 in support to community-based organizations and artists. The brochure is a comprehensive guide to all funded projects, including community festivals, dance and art workshops, music concerts, and more. Copies of the brochure will be available at all community centers, Teen Life Centers, Neighborhood Service Centers, and public libraries within two weeks. All events are free and open to the public.

News Release: Two Seattle Public Art Projects Receive National Recognition

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Two public art projects of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) received national recognition from Americans for the Arts Public Art Network’s 2016 Year in Review. Year in Review highlights the most successful, innovative, and exciting public art projects and programs in the United States. The two award-winning projects are Public Art Boot Camp, a training program for emerging public artists; and ALL RISE, an 18 month-long temporary art program.

“Being recognized nationally for our innovative programming and temporary art is exciting and it expands the boundaries of what we think of as public art,” says Ruri Yampolsky, Public Art Program Director. “Among our other work, we create programs that nurture emerging artists and address the barriers to entry in our field.”

This year the Public Art Network received 260 applications from public art programs and artists. A total of 38 projects were selected for recognition. ARTS has received recognition for previous projects in past years.

“These Public Art Network Year in Review selections illustrate that public art has the power to enhance our lives on a scale that little else can. Whether subtly beautiful or vibrantly jolting, a public art work has the singular ability to make citizens going about everyday business stop, think, and through the power of art appreciate a moment, no matter how brief,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “I congratulate the artists and commissioning groups for these community treasures, and I look forward to honoring more great works in the years to come.”

bootcampemailPublic Art Boot Camp is a hands-on training program intended to expand the next generation of public artists, including emerging artists and artists from historically under-represented communities such as communities of color. In the inaugural year of Public Art Boot Camp, participants engaged in a free two-day intensive basic training, learning to translate their studio or gallery experience into the public realm. Through a competitive process, 30 artists were selected to participate. They attended workshops that provided an overview of the field with topics such as finding opportunities, selection processes, contracts, working with design professionals, approvals, fabrication, installation and more. Participants were included in an invitational opportunity to create temporary artworks for “Art Interruptions: Central Area Neighborhood Greenway” and “Seattle Center Sculpture Walk.” Following the Boot Camp, 14 of the 30 participating artists received their first public project commissions through ARTS or other organizations.

Montgomery_StarsALL RISE, a collaborative art series curated by Meagan Atiyeh and Elizabeth Spavento, featured a year and a half of performances, events and temporary art installations organized for and presented at an entire vacant city block at the location of Seattle City Light’s future Denny Substation in the Cascade neighborhood. The curators were commissioned to engage and transform the entire 90,000 sq. Ft. empty lot into a dynamic and evolving art exhibition space from May 2014 through September 2015. ALL RISE encompassed more than 50 artists who engaged with the residents and workers of the Cascade neighborhood, exploring the transient potentials of land as residential, agricultural, urban, and political. Artists from Seattle to London, ranging in disciplines from sculptors, photographers, choreographers, dancers, composers, musicians, poets and community activists, created work for and around the site. Full documentation can be found at www.allriseseattle.org.

The Public Art Network (PAN), a program of Americans for the Arts, is designed to provide services to the diverse field of public art and to develop strategies and tools to improve communities through public art. The network’s constituents are public art professionals, visual artists, design professionals, and communities and organizations planning public art projects and programs.

The Year in Review selections were presented at the national conference “The Present & Presence of Public Art” in Boston, MA in June. The 38 public art works selected for the PAN Year in Review can be seen on this page. The presentation, which includes photos and descriptions of these works, are available for purchase through Americans for the Arts’ store.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC and New York City, it has a record of more than 40 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in, and appreciate all forms of the Arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

Images: Public art boot camp and Robert Montgomery.

University Bridge in a whole new light: artists Ian Campbell and Hayley Buckbee selected for lighting artist residency

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Ian Campbell and Hayley Buckbee, two members of RSVR an art and design studio, have been selected for the University Bridge Lighting artist residency. The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) commissioned Campbell and Buckbee to create a lighting concept and undertake an in-depth exploration of Seattle’s three historic draw bridges: the University, Fremont, and Ballard bridges, which will celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2017.

U Bridge_Ian Campbell & Hayley Buckbee_Golden HourThe Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) commissioned Campbell and Buckbee to undertake an in-depth exploration of Seattle’s three historic draw bridges: the University, Fremont, and Ballard bridges, which will celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2017, and to create a lighting concept that celebrates these iconic structures.

The University Bridge is a double-leaf draw bridge, known as a bascule bridge, built in 1919 with an opening span of 217 feet. The bridge was remodeled in 1933 and was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. A bridge operator is on site every day in the northwestern tower, the southeastern tower is unoccupied and will be used for the residency. It will be furnished with a desk, chair, overhead lights, and windows.

At RSVR, Campbell and Buckbee focus on merging architecture, art, and industrial design. Their work is informed by the exploration of light, the process of making, and the formation of memories. Campbell has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Arkansas. Buckbee has a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington.

Commissioned with Seattle Department of Transportation 1 % for Art funds.

Image courtesy of Ian Campbell and Hayley Buckbee

Martha Rosler at Friends of the Waterfront

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The Source: Art
Thursday, May 12, 2016, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Waterfront Space, 1400 Western Avenue – Free and open to the public
RSVP

The City of Seattle will re-present Martha Rosler’s Seattle: Hidden Histories (1991), a set of one-minute TV public service announcements made in collaboration with local indigenous residents, including historians, linguists, and leaders. Martha Rosler has recently been awarded the The New Foundation Seattle’s inaugural 100K Prize, a biennial award presented to an influential, U.S.-based woman artist in honor of her exemplary artistic achievements and enduring commitment to her practice. 

Throughout the spring, Friends of Waterfront Seattle hosts The Source series, a sequence of community open house events celebrating our waterfront as a source of heritage, creative inspiration, and appreciation for the natural world. This series also celebrates Waterfront Space, the project showroom for Waterfront Seattle, a source for project information and community engagement.

All evening events will include food, beer and wine, and a brief program presenting new perspectives on our waterfront’s history, ecology and art.

In memoriam, Rick Bartow

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Bartow SPU00.176The Northwest lost a great artist with the passing of Native American Artist Rick Bartow on April 2, 2016 at 69 years old. This Oregon artist was known for his transformational artwork: animal spirits and human spirits blended together in a cacophonous display of color and culture. His artwork is vivid and gripping and commands the viewers’ attention. We are very fortunate to have his work in the city’s Portable Works Collection.

Bartow lived and worked on the Oregon coast, where he observed hawk, raven and eagle—the subjects that populate his artwork. Rick was a member of the Wiyot tribe from Northwestern California. In 1969, Rick Bartow earned a Bachelors of Arts in Art Education from Western Oregon State University. He served in the Vietnam War and worked in many fields including fishing, bartending, building maintenance, and teaching. He also became an active blues guitarist before his death.

Bartow was a professional artist, with solo exhibitions at museums, universities, and galleries around the globe and the USA. In 2003 he inaugurated the Continuum 12 series at the National Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan. In 2002 the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University organized the traveling exhibit My Eye, that traveled to the University of Notre Dame and the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, WA. Some of his prominent group exhibitions include Twentieth Century American Sculpture at the White House, Washington, D.C., organized by the Heard Museum; Indian Reality Today, at Westfaliches Landesmuseum fur Naturkunde, Munster, Germany; Head, Heart and Hands, organized by the Kentucky Art and Craft Gallery in Louisville, KY and traveling to the American Craft Museum, New York, NY; Indian Time at the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, Santa Fe, NM; and the Museum of Art & Design’s Changing Hands 2: Art Without Reservation, New York, NY

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 30, at the Newport Performing Arts Center.

Rick Bartow
Observant, 1999
Acrylic on panel
24” x 24”
Photo courtesy of the Charles Froelick Gallery

 

New artwork in West Seattle

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Delridge CompleteThe recently installed artwork, Fitting by Rebecca Cummins on SW Barton Street, features two camera obscuras perched at the top of the stairs that lead down to Henderson Street in West Seattle. The “cameras” are converted water gate valves that provide inverted, panoramic 350° views of the area, which includes the Delridge Combined Sewer Overflow Tank (CSO 169) site. Installed above the recently retrofitted CSO Tank 169, Fitting illuminates the important infrastructure work that CSO Tank 169 represents and the waterway it protects, Longfellow Creek.

A camera obscura is an optical device that led to the development of photography and the photographic camera. Through the lens of the cameras, vehicles and pedestrians will appear upside down and moving in the opposite direction. Cummins installed the cameras at two different heights for accessibility; a taller one to allow for adults and a shorter one for disabled persons or children.

The two camera obscuras are fabricated from valves and pipes that are typically used by Seattle Public Utilities for drainage and wastewater; Seattle Public Utilities constructs combined sewer overflows for the city. Large gate valves create the light-tight chambers and steel pipes form the structural mounts. An acrylic lens on one side of the valve cameras invert views of the surrounding environment and project them onto a frosted acrylic screen midway in the chamber. A viewing aperture directly opposite the lens allows the audience to peer in and observe the moving, colorful image that is projected upside down on the screen.

About Rebecca Cummins

Artist Rebecca Cummins explores the sculptural, experiential and sometimes humorous possibilities of light and natural phenomena, often referencing the history of optics in her installations that have included a machine for making rainbows, a photographic rifle, paranoid dinner-table devices and a variety of sculptural and photographic approaches to marking time. Other projects record the movement of shadows in daylight and moonlight over regular time intervals. She is currently working on commissions for the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) and the Exploratorium in San Francisco.  She has exhibited widely in Australia, the U.S., and Europe; exhibitions include the Shanghai Biennial, Shanghai, China; the South Australia Biennale of Australian Art, the Biennial of Seville, Seville, Spain and Wireless Experience, Museum of Contemporary Art KIASMA in Helsinki, Finland.

Commissioned with Seattle Public Utilities 1 % for Art funds.